Vending-machine.



PATENTB'D JUNE 12, 1906.

A. MERGKENS. VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed January 2, 1906. Serial No. 294,048.

To a, whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, AUGUST MEnoKENs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bath Beach, in the borough of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings, city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement inVending- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

' M y invention relates to vendin -machines, and particularly to thatclass 0 automatic vcnding-machines in which a coin of predetermineddenomination is inserted through a slot and passes through a coin-chuteor cointester to such a position in a suitable ejector that through theintervention of the coin a package or other article to be vended isejected by the operation of the machine.

The objects of my present invention are the provisions of an automaticvending-inachine in the operation of which all coins or articles otherthan a coin of predetermined denomination intended to operate themachine will be ejected therefrom; also, a machine in which if there areno more packages to be vended the coin of predetermined denominationwill be refunded, and also a machine in which the clogging of theapparatus from any cause whatsoever is prevented.

The apparatus comprising my resent invention is an improvement on t atshown and described in Letters Patent N 0. 811,571, granted me February6, 1906, for an improvement in vending-machines.

In carrying out in T invention I employ, together with a suita lccasing, a coin-chute and a receptacle for the packages to be vended, adevice for closing the end of the coinchute, means actuated by a coin ofpredetermined denomination after the same has passed through thecoin-chute for actuating the said device to close the end of thecoinchute, means operative when the package-receptacle is empty foractuating the" said device to close the end of the coin-chute, apushrod, means associated therewith and actuated by the operationthereoffor releasing.

the coin retained in the coin-chute, and means for returning the coin tothe vendee, all of which will be hereinafter more particularlydescribed. g

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section and partial elevation of anautomatic vendingmachine, illustrating my improvements there in. Fig. 2is an end elevation of the frame in Which the coin tester or chute ismounted. Fig. 3 is an end view of the front of the frame in which thecoin-tester or coin-chute is mounted, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section online X X, Fig. 1.

(1 represents the front board of a suitable casing, which may be made ofany material I and in a form adapted to contain the mechanism foroperating the machine to vend the packages.

I) is a frame, preferably made of metal and set in the casing in therequired position.

or chute is provided between said fixed and movable members.

The outer member of the frame I) is provided with a slot 0 in alinementwith the coin-passage between the fixed and movable mem ers 2 3,respectively, of the coin-tester. The movable member 3 is provided withan arm 6, extending from the upper forward end of the same, with itslower edge lying across the upper portion of the slot 0', so that ininserting a coin the movable membe r3 is swung aside by the edge of thecoin coming in contact with the lower edge of the arm 6. The movablemember 3 is also provided with an inclined contact-arm 7, extending fromthe lower forward edge of the same and whose function will behereinafter described. The

coin-tester may also be provided with a magnet 8, a suitably-hingedwasher-arrest, and any other devices known to the art for arresting aspurious coin or other article in the coin-tester. The inner member ofthe frame I) is provided with a slot 11, also in alinement with thecoinassage between the fixed and this plate dis raised, the projection dthereof upon this frame and on opposite si es of the is adapted toextend across the slot 11 to Y close the coin-chute. also pivotallyconnected to the inner face of the frame I) at I employ a rocker-arm e",provided at one side of its pivotal point with j a projection c" and atthe opposite side with an outwardly-extending portion c and the movementof the rocker-arm e may be limited by means of a stop 0". Theoutwardlyextending portionc of the rocker-armc is connected to theoutwardly-extending portion (1 of the gravity-plate (l by means of a rodg, which preferably passes loosely through suitable openings in theseoutwardly-extending portions.

0 designates a receptacle adapted to contain packages 12 to be vcnded,which, as is common in machines of this class, are superimposed in pileswithin the receptacle 0 and are maintained in position therein by meansof a suitable weight 1, also adapted to fit within the reeeptru le c.The weightf is provided with a projection f, fixed therein in such aposition that when the packagesare all removed from the receptacle c, ornearly so, the projection f will contact with the projection e of therocker-arm c and thereby cause the rocker-arm to be swung on its pivotalpoint and by means of the rod g to raise the gravity-plate d to causethe projection (1 thereof to pass across the slot 11, and thereby closethe coin-chute at its inner end. The osition of the parts in thisrelation are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2a b g is a slidable ejectorsecured to the inner end of a push-rod 71, whose outer end passesthrough the front board a. The ejector g is provided with a slot 13,adapted to receive the coin, and the push-rod h is provided with asleeve 14, the said ejector being normally held in position against astop-bar It by means of a helical spring 1.5,bearing at one end againstthe stop-bar h and at the other end against the sleeve 14, preferablypassing within a recessed portion of this sleeve, as indicated.

i designates a hop er located directly beneath the slot 11 in t 1e innermember of the frame b, and 16 is a chute leading from the hopper i to apoint directly above the slot 13 in t e ejector g and by means of whichthe coin after passing through the coin-chute is delivered to theejector g. It will be manifest that in this position the coin itself isemployed as the medium by which the lowermo'st package in thesuperimposed pile of packages in the package-receptacle will be ejectedupon the push-rod it being moved inwardly. The frame M, which supportsthe hopperi, is slotted centrally of the ho per, and

slot therein I em loy standards h", between which is mounte a lever h} uon a suitable pin 72?, passing through the sai standards h The lower endof the lever 72 in its normal coin in its descent from the ho )per i toits position within the slot 13 in t 1e ejector g.

The upper end of the lever It extends beneath and contacts with thelower edge of the gravity-plate (I, and in their normal position therelation of these parts is such that the coin-chute is open throughoutand the lower end of the lever h in place to be struck by the coin inits descent to the ejector g, and the coin in so contacting with thelower end of the lever liwill raise the upper end thereof, which in turnraises the gravity-plate d to cause the projection d thereof to passacross the slot 11 to close the coin-chute, which operation is entirelyindependent of the rockerarm e and associated parts.

lr designates a coin-receptacle, the u per portion 17 thereof beingpreferably uti ized as a slide upon which the ejector g is moved. Thisportion of the coin-receptacle isprovided with a slot 18, through whichafter the lowermost package has been removed from the superimposed'pilethe coin used in eject ing the same will pass directly through the slot13 in the ejector g and also through the slot 18 and into thecoin-receptacle la, the package ejected being passed to the operator ofthe machine by way of the chute 20.

l designates a hopper placed immediately behind the front board a anddirectly beneath the coin chute and tester c. The hoper I communicateswith a chute 19, which atter is in communication with the chute 20, sothat articles passing through the chute 19, as well as through the chute2t), arrive at the same place from which they may be obtained.

The push-rod h is preferably provided with an arm m, secured at one endin the sleeve 14, fixed on the said push-rod and extending upwardlybeneath the side of the hopper Z and provided at its up er end with acrossbar n, extending aral e1 with and immediately behind the o'nt boarda. This bar n is provided with a pin 1, and the relation and position ofthese parts are such that when the rod h is moved inwardly the pin 1'strikes the inclined contact-arm 7, secured to the movable member 3 ofthe coin-tester, and swings this member of the tester aside, therebyliberating a coin or any other article which may have been arrestedwithin the coin-chute.

In the foregoing description it will be seen that I have referred to myimproved apparatus in the singular; but it will be manifest that in anygiven machine the parts may be duplicated at pleasure without departingfrom the nature and spirit of my invention.

In the operation of the hereinbefore-d'escribed apparatus, assuming thatthe parts therein are in working order, a coin of predetermineddenomination upon being inserted Above the slot 11 and l positionprojects slightly over the path of the at the slot passes through thecoin-chute, through the slot 11 in the inner member of the frame 1) intothe hopper t', through the chute l6, and into the slot 13 in the ejectorg. Just before reaching its position in the slot 13 the lever h andraises the upper end of said lever to raise the gravity-plate d to causethe projection d thereof to pass across the slot 11 to close thecoin-chute, whereupon if other coins, whether of a predetermineddenomination or not, or other articles are passed into the coin-chutethe same will be retained therein. Now upon actuating the push-rod thelowermost package in the superimposed pile will be removed through theintervention of the coin in the slot 13 of the ejector g,

and at the same time the coin-chute will be opened by means of the pin1" contactin with the arm 7, and the other coins or artic rs arrested inthe coin-chute will be released and by way of the hopper l and chute 19will be returned to the operator of the machine. This operation, itwillbe understood, is normalthat is to say, takes place'every time themachineis operated and is sufficiently charged to deliver a package tobe vended, it being understood that the plate d and the lever It arereturned to their normal positions" opening the passage through thecoin-chute immediately after the )ush-rod It has been moved sufficientlyfor the coin in the ejector g to clear the lower end of the lever It;but this return to the normal position cannot possibly occur before thecoin-chute has been opened to permit the release and return of anyarticles which may be therein retained. ()n the other hand, when thepackages to be vended have all or nearly all been removed from thepackage-receptacle the rojection on the wei ht contacts with the ro'ec-J g P 1 tion e? on the rocker-arm e moving the same downward, andthereby raising the opposite end of the. rocker-arm e, by means ofwhich, through the rod g, the gravit plate (1 is raised to cause theprojection thereof to pass across the slot 11 to close the coin-chute,whereupon it will be manifest that if an attempt is made to operate themachine the coin or other articles employed in making such an attemptwill be arrested in the coinchute and upon moving the push-rod hinwardly the coin or other article will be rel l l combination with acasing, a coin-chute and a receptacle for the packages to be vended, of

a device for closing the end of the coin-chute,

means actuated by the coin after the same has passed through thecoin-chute for operatthe coin in its descent strikes the lower end ofing said device to close the coin-chute, a pushrod by the actuation ofwhich, through the intervention of the coin, the packages may be ejectedfrom the said receptacle, means actuated upon operating the push-rod forreleasing articles retained in the coin-chute and means for returningthe said articles to the operator.

3. In an automatic vending-machine, the combination with a casing, apackage-receptacle, a frame and a coin-chute within the said frame, of aplate pivotally mounted on the said frame and adapted when raised toclose the inner end of the coin-chute, and a lever adapted to beactuatedby the coin after the same has passed through the coin-chute to raisethe said plate to close the. coin-chute.

4. In an automatic v'ending-machine, the combination \vith a casing, apaekage-receptacle, a frame and a coin-chute within the said frame, of aplate pivotall y mounted on the said frame and adapted when raised toclose the inner end of the coin-chute, a lever adapted to be actuated bythe coin after the same has passed through the coin-chute to raise thesaid plate to close the coin-chute, a push-rod, means actuated uponoperating the push-rod for releasing articles retained in the coinchuteand means for returning the said articles to the operator. j

5. In an automatic vending-machine, the combination with a casing, apackage-receptacle, a frame and a coin-chute within the said frame, of aplate pivotally mounted on the said frame and adapted when raised toclose the inner end of the coin-chute, a lever adapted to be actuated bythe coin after the same has passed through the coin-chute to raise thesaid plate to close the coin-chute, a rocker-arm also pivotallyconnected to the inner member of said frame, a connection between thesaid rocker-arm and said plate, means operative when theaekage-receptacle is empty for actuating the rocker-arm to cause thesaid plate through the said connection to be raised to close the end ofthe coinchute, a push-rod and means operative upon actuating thepush-rod for releasing and returning articles retained in thecoin-chute.

6. In an automatic vending-machine, the combination with a casing, apackage-rece tacle, a frame and a coin-chute within t e said frame, of aplate pivotally mounted on the said frame and adapted whenraised toclose the inner end of the coin-chute, a lever 7 adapted to be actuatedby the coin after the same has passed through the coin-chute to raisethe said plate to close the coin-chute, a rocker-arm, a rod connectingthe correspond IIO ing ends of the said rocker-arm and plate, a push-rodfor releasing and returning articles weight within the saidpackage-receptacle, a retained within the coin-chute. 1o projectionsecured to the said weight and Signed by me this 26th day of December,adapted when the package-receptacle is 1905.

empty to engage the said rocker-arm to raise AUGUST MERCKEN S. the saidplate'through the intervention of the Witnesses: said rod to close thecoin-chute, a push-rod HARRY EDWARDS,

and means operative upon actuating the WM. R. PHELAN.

